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Now a tower of power; Denenberg tabbed
MVP
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| Jason York, Register
Staff |
June 18,
2002 |
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| Denenberg, a junior and No. 1 singles player
for Trumbull High, has sprouted nearly 7 inches in the past 18
months adding power to his serve and cruel intentions to fluid
groundstrokes. |
"It's helped my serve a lot and helped me be more
aggressive," Denenberg said with a self-effacing tone.
Denenberg's growth is validated by an undefeated regular
season in 2002, a berth in the singles final of the Class LL state
tournament and a State Open singles title. So now, introduce
yourself to Scott Denenberg, the Register's Area Boys' Tennis Most
Valuable Player.
Until a couple of years ago, Denenberg was
simply a counter-puncher. He was content to trade groundstrokes and
keep the ball in play to mask his lack of power. It didn't seem to
affect Denenberg as a freshman as he went 14-2 in the regular season
and reached the quarterfinals of the Class LL tournament.
That summer is when Mother Nature took over and Denenberg
began to fill out his increasingly long, lean frame. Denenberg also
made a conscious effort to become more attack-minded on the
court.
Between the start of his growth spurt and the
beginning of his sophomore season, Denenberg quickly became a force
with which to be reckoned. He reached the final of the Class LL
tournament, where he fell to top-rated Todd Paul of Fairfield Prep,
the State Open and New England Championship.
Denenberg's
progress continued through this season as he went undefeated during
the regular season for Trumbull, which is no small feat playing in
the Fairfield County Conference, and reached the final Class LL
tournament for the second consecutive year. Paul defeated Denenberg
again, but it was a different kind of loss. Denenberg proved to be
extremely pesky, forcing Paul to work hard for the straight-set
victory.
Denenberg's serve kept Paul in check and his
forehand proved to be lethal, which spelled doom for those in the
State Open draw.
Denenberg cruised into the final, where he
met Ridgefield senior Ben Alexander. Denenberg established his
dominance early over the diminutive Alexander, who relies on speed
and hustle, using his booming serve and laser-precise
forehand.
"If there's a short ball, he runs around his
forehand and really goes for it," said Cheshire's No.1 singles
player Josh Ditman, an opponent of Denenberg during both the
scholastic season and summer circuit.
"He's got a lot more
power on all his groundstrokes."
Denenberg, who wants to play
tennis at a Division I college when he graduates next year, will
continue to work this summer on his game playing in United States
Tennis Associations junior events throughout the summer. A chance to
meet Paul this summer, who gave Denenberg his only loss this season
but has not played in the past two State Opens due to scheduling
conflicts, looms large.
That's exactly what Denenberg wants,
too.
"I want my shot at revenge," Denenberg said with a
devilish smile.
At the rate he's growing, err, going, it
looks to be the next logical step.
Jawesson York can be reached at mailto:jyork@nhregister.comor
789-5656 .
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| ©New Haven
Register 2002 |
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